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Hardy returns to Orioles' lineup

4/5/14: J.J. Hardy lays out to glove a sharp grounder in the hole, firing to first to end the inning and keep a run off the board

By Brittany Ghiroli
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MLB.com |

DETROIT -- Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy returned to the starting lineup on Saturday after dealing with lower back spasms and taking Friday off.

"I think it was a smart move, considering the conditions and everything yesterday and what I was feeling the days before," said Hardy, who played through the spasms on Wednesday and Thursday.

Hardy missed two games last year with the issue and said it was much worse the other times he's had spasms than the most recent flare-up.

"Before that, it [hasn't been since] 2009 in Milwaukee that I had them," Hardy said. "It's been a while, so I feel like I've done a pretty good job of doing my low-back exercises. It could have turned into a two-week thing and so it probably was the smart thing to do, take yesterday off."

Hardy went 2-for-3 with a walk in Saturday's 7-6 loss to the Tigers and made a run-saving play in the third.